There is nothing so glorious nor more wide-spread than the unity of mankind, that partnership and sharing of interests, that dearness of the human race, which has its origin at birth, because parents love their offspring, and because the whole family is bound together by marriage and by parenthood. This sentiment gradually spreads beyond the household, first to blood relatives, then to relations acquired by marriage, then to friends and later to neighbours, then to fellow-citizens and to those

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. --Albert Schweitzer

Though I don’t count many as one, truly, I have always been thankful for my friends. Yet, it wasn't until an extraordinary occurrence recently that I've even begun to understand the real power of friendship.

Back in October, when I began researching the first book in a new series, I came across a remarkable story. A group of CIA operatives murdered by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, in December 2009. Of the seven patriots that lost their lives that day, the story of one amazing woman remained with me. Her name was Elizabeth Hanson.

You can read more about Ms. Hanson and the incident itself here: "Who Was Elizabeth Hanson." Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick was the pe

God values friendship.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (John 15:13-15)
We are told by God that laying down your life for your friend is the greatest love. There are many he

(A writer's feelings, written down the morning after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut)

No words.
I'm a writer, but I have no words
that can bring comfort, or ease pain.

The terror that the children must have suffered.
The fear that the adult victims suffered.
The unending pain the parents, and siblings, and spouses, and children of the victims will suffer everyday hereafter.

Some years ago I met Philip Norbert. Our sons were playing on the same little league baseball team. From our love of everything artistic (and our irreverent sense of humor), we quickly became friends. Philip is a talented director. We talk all the time about the convergence of the various medias - books, cinema, TV, audio, gaming. We talked also about the various platforms on which our converged art is now available - TV, radio, computers, tablets, phones, eReaders.

Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends. (Euripides)

Real friendship is a curious thing.

It is a connection that binds individuals in a way unlike any other human condition. It can ignite instantly from the most trivial kindness or take a lifetime to form. Distance and time have no dominion over it, nor do standing, color of skin, gender, age, or religion.
I believe real friendship is an action of love – the outward concern a

To me, the indie publishing industry is made up of the most amazing, talented, and considerate folks I have ever come across. From mentors like Dean Wesley Smith and his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch teaching me the how-to's and the what-not-to-do's; to Passive Guy keeping me informed on everything from the legal aspects of indie publishing to all the most current industry news; to Joe Konrath motivating me with his commando blogs - everyone I have come across in indie publishing h

“The whole world loves a maverick and the whole world wants the maverick to achieve something nobler than simple rebellion.” Kevin Patterson

The transformation from what the literary industry was, to what the literary industry is becoming reminds me of when the Berlin Wall fell. Like many of you, I grew up during the heydays of the Cold War. There was no more profound a symbol of the s-e-p-a-r-a-t-i-o-n between the free world and communism than that cold, graffitied stone

At birth, an empty vessel, but soon to be filled with knowledge and shaped by history, memories, people, places, and times ... from long ago, and those that have not yet come. To express the writer's soul, craft is studied and technique learned. Art is then created and the writer's voice emerges. That voice can be as subtle as a whisper or as loud as thunder from the heavens, yet both can be heard with the same clarity.

_ After a score of years thinking about it; one year of honing my craft, writing my first (but unpublished) manuscript; 74 queries and rejections; and another four months of writing _THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM_ … on January 21, 2011, I became a published author. It’s amazing the changes that have taken place since then – changes for me personally and changes for the entire publishing industry. Those changes have been well publicized by so many already, I won’t rehash them in detail, but

The indomitable Joe Konrath just published a new 'ThoughChat' with Barry Eisler, you can check it out here. As I was reading it, I noticed the list of his older posts, going all the way back to 2005. That alone impressed me - Joe was publishing blogs in 2005, years before I even had a clue about seriously publishing my own novels. More than that, his posts from 6 YEARS AGO still hold water today ... now that's impressive!

Check out my new novel, _Signs of War_! (Click on the cover to check it out on Amazon) _ The ever-informative Passive Guy published a provocative article this morning, “Publishers Constantly Mistreat Their Suppliers” that made me recall my time querying agents. All in all, I only queried for a period of two years (2009-2010), longer than some, but not nearly as long as many other writers. Totally, my count was 74 agents queried; 10 who asked for full or partial manuscripts; and ultimately

[Blogger’s Note: My latest novel, SIGNS OF WAR is in her final stages of editing – which means I’m basically sitting here waiting to finalize the graphic design/ISBN/Library of Congress/formatting/publishing so I can release her into the world. In my youth, I would turn to the bottle to pass the time and calm my nerves … nowadays I blog, venting my frustrations with mindless banter without the hangover the next day] B

You may have heard of Author Michael Gerber's great books – The E-Myth and The E-Myth Revisited – if you haven't read them you should pick up a copy (here's an Amazon link to: E-Myth Revisited). Gerber does a great job of explaining both why some entrepreneurs are successful and why so many more fail. The "E-Myth" or Entrepreneurial Myth is the misguided belief that too many folks have about starting and operating their own businesses and what makes them successful. Here's the descript

Passive Guy, the brilliant and mysterious non-practicing IP attorney who's been gracious enough to share his expertise and non-practicing advise with our SelfPubber community passed on this article written by the well-respected, experienced editor, Alan Rinzler - "Good day sunshine for writers." Thanks PG for pointing us to it! Pulling a pint of your own from the tap! c",)

The article is actually a positive one for SelfPubbers to read. Mr. R. gives u

I recently made acquaintance via Goodreads.com with fellow thriller author, musician, household handyman, dad of four children and homeschooling advocate, Jeff Bennington. Are those enough similarities between us?

… Wait a minute, is he me … am I him … are we the same person? Nah, he's taller and better lookin'! (grin)

Jeff is the author of _REUNION_, a supernatural thriller, _Killing the Giants_, a political thriller and _